I am so pleased and honored to announce that our Management Team is now complete with the addition of our new Executive Chef, Lucas Cheek. Lucas comes to Cat Island Club by way of the Omni on Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort where he has served as the Resort Executive Chef. His past experiences also included the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort where he spent six years and was responsible for overseeing 9 restaurants on property, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando and Nippers Beach Grille in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Early in his career, Lucas was a part of the opening culinary team at Capella Telluride in Telluride, Colorado. The Capella Hotel was founded by Horst Schulze who led the opening team. This property received the AAA 4 Diamond award just 5 months after opening. Lucas’ love for culinary arts was in his roots at his grandfather’s farm in Kansas. He developed a keen interest in food production from the farm to the table at a very early age. After attending Kansas State University, he then moved to Colorado and attended the Culinary School of the Rockies which launched his career. Chef Lucas has two beautiful children, Lainey (age 6) and Paisley (age 10). I am so delighted to add Chef Lucas to this amazing team that will lead Cat Island Club. Look forward to seeing him on the property in mid-April!
This past week at the club, Ben and his team continue to put finishing touches on the golf course. They have been topdressing greens and approach areas as well as some fairways and tees that need a little help. The forecast for the week ahead indicates warm nights and plenty of sunshine during the day, which is exactly what’s needed at this stage in the process.
Early next week, the golf course furniture is due to arrive. This includes the tee signs, bag stands on the range, bag drop for the parking lot, trash cans, tee markers and bunker rakes. While this sounds like a lot of material, we’ve designed the tee location signs and tee markers to be simple and minimal. Like most everything that we’ve done at the club thus far, we follow the plan of “less is better.”
Our “Meet the Pro” night was a great success last night! A number of members stopped by to enjoy some delicious hors d’ouevres and a beverage (or two) while they had a chance to meet Keith and his bride, Heart, in the golf shop. We also debuted some new golf shop merchandise last night to prepare for the upcoming soft opening.
A special note to Cat Island Club members: we are introducing a new partnership for all RDP clubs called Open Rounds. This is a free service to Cat Island Club members where you can gain access to hundreds of private clubs around the country from your computer. Just pick a city and time that you are traveling, and a travel host from Open Rounds will assist you in securing a tee time at a list of other private clubs within the partnership. This is in addition to the various RDP clubs around the country; the best part is this is a free service to Cat Island Club members. I will post more specific information on Clubster (our Members Communication Tool) soon.
Next Saturday, April 8th, we’ll be hosting our first Easter Egg Hunt at the Cabana and driving range. The hunt will be divided into age groups and will begin at 11:00 AM. This is a member-only event and more information will be posted on Clubster. Bring your own Easter Basket and, of course, no Easter Egg hunt would be complete without a mimosa for mom during the festivities. Then on Easter Sunday, the Cabana will be the place to watch the final round of the Masters. We’ll have a special Master’s menu and drink specials while the tournament is being broadcasted. Grilled pimento cheese sandwiches, Egg Salad, and BBQ Pork are all on the menu. Again, this is a member and invited guests-only event and more details are forthcoming on the Cat Island Club Clubster app.
Have a great week friends. It won’t be long now before we’re sitting on the Oak Patio watching golfers finishing up on the 18th hole while we are enjoying dinner and a beverage. If you are considering membership, please feel free to contact me at the club anytime. I would love to share the vision of Cat Island Club with you.
With warmest regards,
Tim Mervosh
General Manager